# Open my heart to Jesus
*2014-12-10*

> Bill Young reflects on the role of the Holy Spirit in guiding believers toward truth and the importance of daily prayer for an open heart during Advent.

## The Spirit's intercession

Today is Thursday of the second week of Advent. In our journey with Christ, we reflect on the words of Pope Francis: 'Holy Spirit, open my heart to Jesus.' As it is written in Romans 8:26, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought. But that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.

## How the Holy Spirit guides us

We might ask how the Holy Spirit acts in our lives and in the life of the Church to guide us to the truth. First, He recalls and impresses upon the hearts of believers the words Jesus spoke. Through these words, the law of God—as the prophets of the Old Testament foretold—is engraved in our hearts.

## Transformation of the heart

When the Spirit is within us, He becomes the criterion for our evaluations, our decisions, and our guidance in daily actions. He becomes a principle to live by. In our deepest depths, our actions come into being; our heart itself is converted to God, and the Holy Spirit transforms it when we open ourselves to Him.

## A daily prayer for openness

I encourage everyone to pray every day to the Holy Spirit in words like this: 'Holy Spirit, make my heart open to the Word of God. Make my heart open to goodness. Make my heart open to the beauty of God every day.' We must fulfill Jesus' wish and pray daily for the Holy Spirit to open our hearts to Him.

*By praying daily to the Holy Spirit, we allow God to engrave His law upon our hearts and transform our daily actions.*